Honoring the Legacy of the Ben Ish Chai

Rabbi Yosef Chaim - The Ben Ish Chai

He was a disciple of Rabbi Abdullah Somech. His mother made a significant spiritual journey from Iraq to distant Morocco to receive blessings from the righteous Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira. While waiting for her turn to be blessed, she devotedly cared for the sick and needy there. Rabbi Yaakov, impressed by her dedication, blessed her to have a son who would enlighten the eyes of Israel with Torah.

At the age of seven, he fell into a deep well and miraculously survived a great danger. From then on, he vowed to dedicate his life entirely to learning Torah.

When he arrived in the Land of Israel, he prayed at the tomb of Benaiah ben Jehoiada and experienced such sweetness in his prayers that he realized he was connected to his soul's root. Therefore, he named his books after the verse mentioning that righteous person: "And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel."

A story is told of two sages compelled by social etiquette to attend a mitzvah feast hosted by a wealthy man. They were distressed by the hours spent in a setting that felt unworthy of their dignity and the interruption it caused to their learning schedule, including missing the "Tikkun Chatzot" prayer. Nonetheless, to avoid dishonoring the wealthy man and desecrating Hashem's name, they attended.

One sage maintained a cheerful demeanor with the guests, though internally he never ceased his study. At midnight, he leaned on his hand as if resting and recited the "Tikkun Chatzot" silently, maintaining his connection with Hashem while outwardly appearing to celebrate with the guests.

Contrastingly, the other sage displayed anger from the start, visibly uncomfortable at the feast. At midnight, he could no longer contain himself and publicly sat on the ground to pray the Tikkun Chatzot, to the surprise of those present. The guests, offended by his behavior, criticized the Torah and its scholars. However, remembering the first sage’s respectful conduct, their anger subsided, and they praised his pleasant and holy manners.

Rabbi Yosef Chaim shares this story in his book "Chesdei Avot" in elaborating on the Mishnah teaching "Torah study is beautiful with proper conduct." He illustrates that even if a deed is mandated by the Torah, if it seems unconventional by societal norms, a wise person finds a way to balance both spiritual and worldly duties. Humbly, he concealed that he himself was the protagonist of this tale...